NCJ Number
173776
Date Published
1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
There is growing awareness in many countries that violence in the workplace represents a significant and serious social problem, and violence in the workplace includes a range of behaviors such as physical violence, psychological violence, sexual harassment, and bullying.
Abstract
In particular, violence in the transport workplace has promoted the Airline Pilots Association to convene an international conference on disruptive airline passengers to discuss ways of dealing with this violence. In the case of rail transport, the British Transport Police have reported a significant level of vandalism on trains and report two-thirds of all train accidents are attributable to vandalism. In Australia, one study indicates community perception of the risk of becoming a victim of violence while riding on public transport is a major factor in determining whether to use public transport. Bus transport is also characterized by violence, and assaults and passenger frustration are increasing in England. Much of the workplace violence prevention literature demonstrates the use of pre-employment tests to screen out potentially violent workers and the use of target hardening to restrict entry to and movement within the workplace. Perpetrators of workplace violence are likely to fall into one of three major categories: client of a particular enterprise, fellow worker, or total stranger. Pertinent attributes of victims of workplace violence include appearance, health, age, experience, gender, personality, temperament, and expectations. Both the perpetrator and the victim interact in the workplace, and the work environment influences the risk of violence resulting from this interaction. Research suggests the following situations or circumstances may enhance the risk of violence: working alone, working with the public, working with valuables, working with people in distress, working in education, and working in conditions of special vulnerability. Remedial action to deal with the problem of workplace violence can take many forms, and guidelines are offered to prevent violence that focus on the following themes: preventive actions, work organization and the working environment, worker participation, interpersonal skills of managers and workers, and the uniqueness of each workplace situation. Specific transport violence prevention guidelines are noted. 18 references, 2 tables, and 1 figure